<p>State regulators are considering a series of rule changes for the striped bass fishery that could affect fishermen along the East Coast.</p>
State regulators are considering a series of rule changes for the striped bass fishery that could affect fishermen along the East Coast, including on the Vineyard.
The changes would open the commercial striped bass fishery two weeks earlier, require circle hooks for fishermen who use live bait and ban the use of gaffing to land fish.
Proposed by the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF), the changes are intended to help reduce striped bass mortality, especially among fish that are caught and released.
“We’re in a little bit of a down period,” said Mike Armstrong, assistant director for DMF, speaking to the Gazette by phone this week. “The only way to rebuild the stock is to lower fishing mortality. A good portion of fishing mortality is catch and release, mostly recreational.”
Proposed rule changes would require circle hooks for fishermen who use live bait. Public comment period ends March 1.
Proposed rule changes would require circle hooks for fishermen who use live bait. Public comment period ends March 1.
In recent years the commercial striped bass season has opened on June 23 or the first commercial fishing day after that date. The proposed change would allow commercial fishing to begin on or soon after June 13.
Commercial striped bass fishermen are only allowed to fish two days a week and can take up to 15 fish a day with a minimum length of 34 inches. Under the proposed rule changes, fishing days would switch from Monday and Thursday to Monday and Wednesday.
Mr. Armstrong said the earlier opening is being proposed because commercial fishermen did not reach their quota last year. The quota for commercial landings was set at 847,585 pounds of fish, but only 753,731 pounds were caught, even with a mid-year extension of the season.
“We thought we would extend it a bit this year,” Mr. Armstrong said. “The recreational guys, they may see that as liberalization, but it isn’t since we’re under quota.”
The idea of an earlier commercial season doesn’t sit well with Cooper Gilkes, owner of Coop’s Bait and Tackle in Edgartown and a veteran recreational fisherman.
“I don’t like that,” he said. “If there’s any amount of large fish around the Island, [commercial fishermen] are just going to jump on them. At least until now the recreational guys had a halfway decent shot at them in June. Now they just keep moving it up. That doesn’t make sense to me.”
Joe El-Deiry, chairman of the Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby, said an earlier opening for commercial fishing likely would not affect the Island’s annual derby in September and October. Last year the extended commercial season lasted through the entire derby competition. “Starting 10 days earlier shouldn’t necessarily have an effect one way or another,” he said.
A proposed change requiring mandatory circle hooks for anglers using whole or cut bait is a direct attempt to reduce mortality. Unlike the traditional J hooks, circle hooks will not catch a fish in the gut if swallowed. “Study after study shows that circle hooks really reduce mortality because they don’t generally catch in the gills or the esophagus or something else,” Mr. Armstrong said. “We discard probably 10 million fish per year. We kill a lot of fish, almost a million fish through hooking mortality. We only take home 200,000 to 300,000 to eat. So we kill more through hook and release than we bring in. It will be controversial because not everyone likes it. You will lose a fish now and again.”
He said the circle hook rule is aimed at less experienced fishermen.
“The target is casual anglers, which we have thousands and thousands of,” the assistant DMF director said. “They kill a lot of fish by gut hooking. We have to do something. You might see a move toward mandatory circle hooks along the entire East Coast.”
Mr. Gilkes said a universal circle hook requirement would handicap flyfishermen.
“Flyfishing is very difficult with a circle hook,” he said. “Ninety-five percent of our fish are hooked in the lip anyway. For bait, yeah, I could see it.”
Mr. El-Deiry endorsed the idea.
“I pretty much always use circle hooks, just because I release most of the striped bass I catch,” he said. “I always like to give the fish the best chance to continue to grow. Obviously everybody has their own take on it, but I’m all for circle hooks.”
Donald Scarpone, president of the Martha’s Vineyard Surfcasters Association, agreed. “That is excellent,” he said. “Myself, the majority of our club, all use circle hooks for bottom fishing for bass and blues.”
The proposal to ban the use of gaff hooks, instead encouraging the use of nets or lip-grabber pliers to land fish, has seen some pushback, Mr. Armstrong said, but regulators believe it is reasonable. “To us it was kind of common sense,” he said. “You really can’t tell a 26-inch bass from a 28-inch bass, or a 27-inch bass. You put a gaff through its face, that’s a high amount of mortality.”
Mr. Gilkes said he agrees with that rule change.
But in general he disagrees with the theory that reducing mortality will revive declining bass stocks. Instead, he advocates increasing the minimum length for stripers, a method he said has worked before.
“When they turned it around the last time, they went to 36 inches,” Mr. Gilkes said, referring to the collapse and subsequent return of the striped bass fishery in the 1980s. “No fish for three years. You couldn’t keep anything. We had fish, in four years, all over the place. They had them back. Now they’ve lost them again. To me, they go back to square one and bring them back again. Something’s not working out here, that’s for darn sure.”
Mr. Scarpone said he also thinks the commercial quota should be reduced. “Last year the quota was so large, and they didn’t even get to it,” he said, adding: “The only thing that’s going to help the striped bass population is to cut down on the quota.”
The rule changes will be the subject of two public hearings. The first is on Feb. 25 at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy in Buzzards Bay beginning at 6 p.m. A second hearing will be held on Feb. 27 in Gloucester.
Comments can be sent by e-mail until March 1 to DMF director David Pierce at [email protected]. Comments by regular mail can be sent to Mr. Pierce at 251 Causeway Street, Suite 400, Boston, MA 02114.
Comments
In a related story, the
Steve FalmouthIn a related story, the Striper Cup fishing tournament, one of the largest on the East coast, has eliminated weigh ins in an effort to conserve this great fish: https://www.stripercup.com/striper-cup-eliminates-weigh-ins/. The vineyard tourney should consider similar measures.
Coop is 100% spot on. The
Captain Fred ChilmarkCoop is 100% spot on. The experience from the last crash of the stock in the '80s is pretty convincing. Raising the minimum to 32" or 34" with a one fish per angler daily limit will allow many more fish to join and remain in the breeding stock. These changes need to be coupled with curtailing the catch of forage fish such as menhaden and herring so the food supply is also enhanced -- that's just as big a problem and must be part of the solution. He's also right that circle hooks should be required for bait fishing only. For fly fishing and artificial lures, a limit to a single hook (no more trebles on plugs) is adequate.
Cooper is , as usual, spot on
Jim CotuitCooper is , as usual, spot on...
From a personal perspective the striper is simply more valuable alive then dead....from the perspective of a former commercial fisherman moving the season into the period that further eclipses the herring drop back makes it like shooting fish in a barrel...from the perspective of a guide and grandfather teaching his grandson how to fish ( and think !) why oh why have a commercial harvest at all???
My two cents ....
A very valuable two cents Jim
Steve FalmouthA very valuable two cents Jim, thanks for that
Increase minimum size to 36"
R Scott Patterson EdgartownIncrease minimum size to 36" and back to 1 fish per day, drastically reduce commercial quota, no more new commercial licenses, consider purchasing back existing commercial licenses, derby should remove bass from prize structure(perhaps some catch and release category). Circle hooks are good idea.
those are some good ideas
Steve Falmouththose are some good ideas
If I were King I would just
R Scott Patterson EdgartownIf I were King I would just ban all commercial harvest and require purchasing a striped bass tag in order for any recreational harvest but I was trying to throw out some suggestions that could possibly be implemented.
Oh yeah - I forgot....
Jim CotuitOh yeah - I forgot....
Circle hooks should be mandated for commercial bait... unenforceable for recreational - ...
Shift in days MIGHT help diminish abuses by commercials prefishing and collecting fish caught by recreational anglers for sale- but I doubt it based on the five decades that I have been watching the show....
Keeping tight restrictions on
TAD ChappyKeeping tight restrictions on large scale commercial fishing for menhaden and squid will help restore a robust striped fishery as well.
Perhaps they didn't get their
NP EdgartownPerhaps they didn't get their quota last year because the population of striped bass is collapsing, and now they want to start earlier??? I agree with Coop.
Yes, it is twisted logic.
Steve FalmouthYes, it is twisted logic.
Coop for President!!
Tony PlymouthCoop for President!!
Im not so sure I agree that
Russ New YorkIm not so sure I agree that the stock is decreasing because over the last 5 years I have seen more fish and thicker schools. I have conistently caught more each year BUT I agree we need to decrease mortality. Having won the Striper Cup 2 years in a row I have consistently caught bigger fish each year but I release 99% of my fish and only kept the ones I could not revive. I think a bigger issue is the majority of fisherman do NOT know how to properly revive Striped Bass. I see WAY too many anglers just throw fish back without any effort to revive them. We have spent 20-30 minutes reviving one fish, missing a school blitz, in order to make sure that one fish swims away and down strongly. I have watched anglers throw fish back and ignored them when they floated back up......on several occasions we motored over to these fish and successfully revived them which is a good feeling. Circle hooks should be mandatory but anglers MUST understand that if one of these gets hooked low or gut hooked they are much more difficult to remove and the line should be cut immediately. I do not understand why gaffing Striper is allowed at all and it would be a smart move to eliminate that. Increasing the keep size is also good. We have a slot between 28 and 40 inches for the Hudson that you cannot keep and that has worked great for helping preserve the spawners. As for commercial fishing....I do not understand why that is allowed. Making Striper a game fish and eliminating commercial fishing might not be a bad idea.
The DMF proposal to mandate
Nelson Sigelman Vineyard HavenThe DMF proposal to mandate the use of circle hooks when fishing for striped bass would not affect fly fishermen. The rule states: Beginning in 2020, mandate the use of inline circle hooks by anglers fishing for striped bass with whole or cut natural baits. This circle hook mandate would not apply to any artificial lure designed to be trolled, casted and retrieved, or vertically jigged with a natural bait attached.
Of course, there is no reason to wait for 2020. Circle hooks work.
The DMF proposal to open the commercial season earlier because last year's quota was not filled does not reflect a widespread view that the cause is a decline in the stocks, as opposed to time just ran out.
Fishermen ought to take advantage of the opportunity to express an opinion on the slate of rule changes and email Director Pierce.
Back in the day when I
R Scott Patterson EdgartownBack in the day when I actually used to fish for stripers a lot I started tying flies on circle hooks and noticed no decrease in hook ups so I don't really have a problem if they became mandatory. I did try using circle hooks for bonito and they were terrible, lots of hits and hardly any hook ups. Just my 2 cents.
I have used circle hooks for
K McArtI have used circle hooks for years, and I'm not sure I see the advantage. I still gut hook a lot of fish, and the circle hooks are harder to remove when the fish swallows them. I was actually thinking of going back to J hooks for this reason.
These comments are insightful
Chris ChappyThese comments are insightful and very persuasive. Massachusetts Fish and Game should be evaluating these regs and seeking comment from people who are "in the know" like Mr. Gilkes and these other knowledgeable contributors. There is always a disconnect between the bureaucratic regulators and the real fishing public. In my opinion they should have a 3year moratorium on harvesting, across the board, no exceptions.
Enough of Couch/Computer/Desk
One of the Few The CrickEnough of Couch/Computer/Desk fisherman making the rules for the 15% of Com permit Holders that actually do all the Commercial fishing. All these people squawking about this are the ones NOT doing the fishing. The Gaff theory is just that.... a theory. The rec folks do more damage to the fishery then ALL the commercial guys do combined. I personally know if a fish is big enough 34" to put a gaff in it. For instance 0% of the 3,000 + pounds of Striper I brought aboard with a gaff was undersized..0%....If it is close I lip the fish....We are not all who you folks think. We are not the BassBoogieman. We are Anglers learning how to get the best angle to increase our catch.
The Circle hook idea is just another cloaked way of trying to get the YOYo guys out of business. Whats next? ...Not to sound like a broken record but.....Enforce the rules on the books already before making senseless new ones..
And as far as making the Derby C&R.... Start your own tourney and make it any way you like. with your own PC rules.
Gaffs. Really? You folks are
Mark Brown MarylandGaffs. Really? You folks are just getting around to banning that ?
Obviously maximum sustainable
Capt Terry Sullivan Point Pleasent NJObviously maximum sustainable yield is the problem and always will be. No amount of circle hooks, landing devices or days on the water will change that. This is my second go around watching the collapse of this great fishery Time to get our heads out of the sand and start managing for a robust fishery
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